


Taking Care of Them

by lasairfhiona



Series: Pressing the Limits [3]
Category: CSI: Miami
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-04-18
Updated: 2011-04-18
Packaged: 2017-10-18 07:55:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/186646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lasairfhiona/pseuds/lasairfhiona
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Calleigh's missing. Horatio's upset and they are being taken care of...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Taking Care of Them

Rick watched as Horatio attempted to remain calm as he listened to the voice on the phone. He knew the CSI was anything but casual, by the white knuckles gripping the phone and the tightening jaw.

"Horatio?" he questioned when the red head closed his phone and dropped his head to his chest in an attempt to gain control of himself.

"He has her…" Horatio said taking a deep breath and opening his phone to make more calls.

The killer that had been plaguing Miami had Calleigh, the very thought of her in his hands made his blood run cold.

Together they began to make the necessary calls to bring the CSI team together and detectives. Rick's status as an IAB officer gave him the leverage needed to move mountains without being questioned and for Calleigh's sake Horatio needed the mountains he could move done yesterday.

Once the team was assembled, they set to work tracking Calleigh's last moves. Time passed far too slow for Rick and he knew it moved even slower for Horatio. Analyzing cell phone records and pin-pointing the towers that transmitted the call the killer made to Horatio from Calleigh's phone was time consuming. The minute they determined an area to begin their search, Horatio headed for the door without a word to anyone.

"I'm coming with you," Rick stated as he followed Horatio down the hall to the parking garage.

"Now is not the time, Rick," Horatio warned, not breaking his stride.

"Horatio, if Calleigh is still alive, she's going to need you, and you're going to need someone to watch your back. I'm going," Rick's statement didn't allow for argument. What he left unspoken was that if they found Calleigh dead, he would be the one to either keep Horatio from going off the deep end or help him kill the man who killed Calleigh.

"Okay," Horatio gave in, "Just stay out of my way."

"I'm on your side Horatio," Rick reminded him

He remained silent as he got into the Hummer next to Horatio and they followed Frank's patrol car with Eric and more patrol cars behind him as well as an ambulance, just in case. As each mile passed he noticed Horatio's grip on the steering wheel grew tighter and tighter. He knew Horatio believed he wasn't there because of some misguided sense of loyalty to Calleigh or him. What Horatio didn't understand was that he was there was because of who they were to one another and what they had together. Calleigh and Horatio were good together.

They made a silent arrival at the area the tech guys directed them to and broke into teams or three or four to begin their search for Calleigh. "There..." Rick said pointing to where a body lay on the cement.

Rick took a deep breath and watched as Horatio raced toward the body, praying it was Calleigh and they'd found her in time. He followed right behind him and called the others to give their location.

+++++

Preserving evidence was the last thing on Horatio's mind as he knelt next to Calleigh to check fro a pulse. His sigh of relief was audible when he felt her heart slowly beating under his fingers. "She's alive!" he yelled, knowing they would have the EMTs on their way. He knew he should be mindful of any evidence that could be around but he couldn't help pulling Calleigh into his arms and holding his hand over the bullet hole in her shoulder to stem the blood that was still seeping out of her.

He never noticed Rick laying a leather jacket over her body to hold in vital warmth, and he barely noticed when the IAB officer handed him a handkerchief to hold against the wound. Horatio's sole focus was on Calleigh and willing her to live until help arrived and could take over caring for her. It wasn't until he felt Rick take his arm that he realized the others had arrived with the EMTs.

"Come on Horatio, let them do their job," Rick said as he pulled Horatio to his feet allowing the medical attendant room to do his job.

They had found her in time but Horatio couldn't help feeling powerless as he watched them work on Calleigh. It reminded him too much of Marisol and it was all he could do to keep the raising panic of losing Calleigh the same way he lost Marisol from overwhelming him. It was Rick's grip on his arm and his guiding force that kept him from embarrassing himself.

He followed her into the ambulance and sat holding her hand as they rushed to the nearest hospital. He had no intention of leaving her side until he knew she was out of danger. He'd come too close to losing her and it was long past time they admitted what they had not just to one another but to everyone else. Stetler had known about their relationship for a while now and been true to his word about keeping their secret. Maybe, with his support, any roadblocks that cropped up would disappear.

+++++

Calleigh woke slowly to loud voices. At first she kept her eyes closed hoping the noise would stop but when it didn't she opened her eyes to see "who" was making the racket.

At first the figures were blurry but as they became clearer she recognized everyone. Horatio and Rick were standing together next to her bed and Eric, wearing an angry expression, was standing by the door. The scene confused her why would Eric be arguing with Horatio _and_ Rick?

She made eye contact with Rick and he tapped Horatio on the shoulder and pointed to her.

"Horatio, she's awake."

"Cal, honey..."

"Wha..." she tried to ask when he leaned down and kissed her cheek in front of everyone, but found it hard to speak. This wasn't what they didn't do this front of people.

"Shh... You were shot but we found you in time. You're going to be fine."

"How long?" she asked after he explained what had happened to her. She knew there was more by the haunted look in his eyes, but she'd ask later.

"You were out a couple of days."

"Come on Delko. Leave them be. Calleigh, feel better. We can talk in a couple days."

She nodded at Rick even though she was confused as to what was going on. "Hey handsome," she whispered and watched as his eyes warmed. "What's going on?"

"Long story. The long and the short of it is we're out. Rick's on our side. Eric is angry."

"I should have told him," she said with a sigh.

"You can talk to him later. I need you to stay with me."

Calleigh wiggled her fingers at him and smiled when she felt his grasp. "Always. Love you."

"Love you too."

Calleigh drifted back to sleep with Horatio's declaration being the last thing she heard.

+++++

Rick watched through the door as Horatio took a seat beside Calleigh with their hands clasped. The lines on his face softened as the worry diminished with her waking. They would be all right. He'd make sure of it.


End file.
